I just saw film of the devastation. I hope all are well and marshalling their efforts for the clean up and recovery to come. Here come some comforting hugs._________________God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny. -- Garrison Keillor

I heard about the storm on my way in to work this morning and immediately thought of our C&Z buddies. The best news that I heard was that (at that time) no lives had been lost. However the devastation sounds dreadful. Having lost our home in a tornado when I was 9 YO, I can commiserate with what you are going through!

We are sending cyber hugs and best wishes to all of you down there! _________________L'appetit vient en mangeant. -Rabelais

Joined: 29 Sep 2004Posts: 1196Location: buried under a pile of books somewhere in Adelaide, South Australia

Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2006 10:26 am Post subject:

On behalf of our Queensland members, thank you. From memory, I can't think of any who live in that area, but it's been terrible. No lives lost, but there's a cute photo doing the email rounds ....

Oops, sorry, can't post it, but it's of a ruined banana plantation with B1 & B2 - the Bananas in Pyjamas - lying in the middle of it._________________Doing what you like is freedom
Liking what you do is happiness

Let's hope queenslanders read your thoughtful thread, Rainey.
I believe one person died- a man in a caravan who apparently had a heart attack. Very sad, but also a miracle more didn't go. It does make you think of what preparations they did, something better than for New Orleans anyway. I think all these winds are from the tsunami effects-the impact still whooshing around the world. I live on flatlands and we have had the most extraordinary gusts._________________truth, like gold, is not the less so for being newly brought out of the mine.

Let's hope queenslanders read your thoughtful thread, Rainey.
I believe one person died- a man in a caravan who apparently had a heart attack. Very sad, but also a miracle more didn't go. It does make you think of what preparations they did, something better than for New Orleans anyway.

I was a bit worried for my parents who just moved north (to Mackay) as Larry and Wati (the one that followed it) moved in. Larry went north and caused all the devestation up there, while Wati did an abrupt turn South.

As for the preparations, until the El Nino thing, Far North Qld (FNQ) would get 1 to 3 cyclones each storm season. I remember many when I was a lad, so they're fairly well prepared up there for that sort of thing.

We just finished building our house, which is rated to withstand a Cat3 cyclone since that's all that's really necessary so close to Brisbane, but up north the design standards tend to be a bit stricter (which is why most of the pictures of flattened or roofless houses are of houses > 30 years old).

Just to let you know, I have some insider information that you may, or may not know.

I'm originally from a town called Atherton, west of Cairns and about 30-40 mins drive from where the eye of the cyclone hit. My father still lives up there and has reported the following to me:

There were no fatalaties directly related to the storm. The authorities put into effect a compulsory evacuation - learning from what happened with Hurricane Katrina. One elderly gentleman died during the storm from an unrelated heart attack.

One high school has had to close since the storm - unfortunately the buildings were too damaged for them to reopen. Students have had to go to other schools.

Banana prices have sky rocketed in Queensland and many farmers will take a very long time to recovered from their flattened crops.

Unfortunately, no cane toads were killed during the storm, they continue to breed like wild fire.

We lost our lovely Jacaranda tree in our front yard (not an easy tree to come up from the ground).

Far North Queenslanders are all very used to cyclones and are all very prepared for them. Quite a few come through most wet seasons, but are so unremarkable that they're only reported locally in the media.

Thanks for your thoughts - they were much appreciated.

Bonnie_________________"I took the road less travelled by; and that has made all the difference." - Frost

Far North Queenslanders are all very used to cyclones and are all very prepared for them. Quite a few come through most wet seasons, but are so unremarkable that they're only reported locally in the media.

In fact another one just passed over the peninsula the day before yesterday. Hit the coast north of Cook Town at Cat3 level, reduced to Cat 2 by the time it passed into the Gulf and is now a Cat4 heading vaguely for the Northern Territory.